This invention relates to construction of surfaces impervious to hot, high velocity gases; and particularly to rocket nozzles having a special, lightweight, pile insulation, permitting the exit cone to be foldable during storage and extendable when the rocket is launched.
Aerospace vehicles often have surfaces that must be exposed to high temperature, high velocity gases; e.g., the leading surface of a re-entry vehicle that must strike the atmosphere at high velocity, or the interior of a rocket nozzle that must withstand the propulsive gases of a rocket. Such surfaces must not or potentially withstand high temperatures and possible erosiveness of gases impinging thereon; but also must be light in weight in order to maximize payload payloand and range of vehicle.
Another problem, especially applicable to rockets, relates to the fact that they are often intended to be stored in restricted spaces, such as in submarines or in underground silos. Hence, the designer is faced with the problem of how to store a missile of maximum power and range in a given space. One disadvantageous characteristic of conventional rockets is that their thrust nozzles have rigid exit cones that are large and bulky and occupy a considerable portion of the total space allotted for storage of the missile. This restricts the amount of propellant that may be contained in the missile, and, hence, its range and payload.